


sæglópur

by hippopotamus



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, M/M, Mermaids, soulmate-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-30 02:49:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippopotamus/pseuds/hippopotamus
Summary: He swims up to the deck of the ship, curiosity getting the better of him, and freezes. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?The shipwreck is inhabited, not by people - but by mermaids. And the one that has just come through the door is the most beautiful boy that Even has ever seen.Even wants to call out to him, but as he opens his mouth, he remembers he can’t speak underwater. Only bubbles escape him, but it’s still enough to catch the boy’s attention. He twists around, and his eyes widen.“Why are you here?” is the first thing the boy says. Even looks at him in confusion, not sure whether to be offended, before the boy speaks again. “Don’t you know about the curse?”





	sæglópur

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends i got super inspired and wrote almost 9k words about mermaids in a very short space of time, and here they are  
> big big love and thanks to the best ever [bri](http://brionbroadway.tumblr.com) who let me ramble about mermaids and read this when i needed validation  
> title is from the song of the same name by sigur ros bc apparently it literally means lost at sea, so, valid (also another translation is lost sailor but we can ignore that)  
> hope u duders enjoy!

Of course, the shipwreck’s been there a while. Longer than Even’s been in this town - longer than anyone's been in this town. It's a local landmark, a local legend. A pirate ship, sunk in the final stretch of its journey back to land.

There are rumours that it’s cursed, that no one comes back up once they go down to see what’s inside. But at low tide, the mast sticks out from the water, and it doesn’t even seem that deep.

And it’s not like Even really cares if he doesn’t come back up.

The ocean is so calm, the tide so low, the sun so warm - it seems a shame to waste the day on land.

Growing up by the water, he can swim without thinking about it. All he has to do is dive off the low cliffs that stand looking out over the sunken boat, and his body takes him the rest of the way. He swims for minutes at a time before needing to come back up for air. And it brings a certain tranquility to his thoughts, one that he will forget as soon as he’s back on land and swept back up into his life.

Five minutes in, and the cold doesn’t bother him anymore. Ten minutes in, and nor does the lack of oxygen.

He feels almost as though he’s sleep walking - sleep swimming, even. Perhaps this is all a dream, because the pure calm washing over him is almost like falling asleep, only his eyes are still open, his arms still moving.

The ocean gets darker, and smoother, and colder, but still it doesn’t bother him.

And then - it’s almost as if he blinks, and there’s the ship. And it's far from being wrecked.

It’s teeming with life, and light, and laughter. The portholes of the ship are windows into scenes of joy, dancing, parties. He watches from the outside, entranced.

He must be dreaming, but he never wants to wake.

Then, a noise, from above him. A door opened, letting out noise, and quickly shut again.

He swims up to the deck of the ship, curiosity getting the better of him, and freezes. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?

The ship is inhabited, not by people - but by mermaids. And the one that has just come through the door is the most beautiful boy that Even has ever seen. But he seems sad, swimming - more like gliding - to the opposite side of the ship, and putting his hands on the rails. Even can only see him from the back, but his shoulders tense and sink as if in a deep sigh.

Even wants to call out to him, to ask if he’s okay, but as he opens his mouth, he remembers he can’t speak underwater. Only bubbles escape him, but it’s still enough to catch the boy’s attention. He twists around, and his eyes widen.

“Why are you here?” is the first thing the boy says. Even looks at him in confusion, not sure whether to be offended, before the boy speaks again. “Don’t you know about the curse?”

Even nods. _But I don’t care,_ he wants to say. Somehow the boy understands, reads his mind perhaps.

“You should,” he says, swimming closer. “It’s not too late. Leave now, and you’ll be safe.”

_Why? Who are you?_

Something strange flashes across the boy’s face before he replies. “I’m Isak. And if you don’t go now, you’ll be-”

The door opens again, and Isak starts, dashing forward and taking Even’s hand to pull him over the side of the ship, out of sight.

There are voices above them, and Isak pulls them close into the side of the ship, holding tight onto Even, although he doesn’t intend to struggle.

“Where did Isak go?” one voice asks. “He’s missing all the fun.”

“Come on, Eva, you know he hates parties. Doesn’t have anyone to dance with yet.” Even looks at Isak to see him roll his eyes.

“Jonas, don’t be mean. There’s still time.”

“You know I’m just teasing.”

Even hears Eva sigh. “Fine. He’s probably gone down to the caves anyway. Let’s go back in.”

A few seconds pass, and then the door opens and shuts again.

“Stay here,” Isak whispers, and waits for Even to give a hesitant nod, before he swims up to peek over the deck. “They’re gone,” he says, sighing in relief. “You should be too.”

_But-_

“Just trust me. Go home, Even. At least get away from the ship.”

 _Not until you explain._ He folds his arms to make the point better, although he’s not sure it helps him at all.

“Come up to the surface with me,” Isak says. “I’ll explain up there. How long has it been since you breathed?”

It- It’s been - it doesn’t make sense. It’s been minutes, maybe hours. But-

“Exactly,” says Isak. “Like I said, the curse. Come with me.”

He swims, and Even follows, unable to help noticing how beautifully Isak moves through the water, almost as if he’s part of it.

They swim upwards, and away from the ship, towards some rocks sticking out of the water. It’s a storybook setting for the sirens who lure fishermen in with their voices - only it was the ship that lured Even in with its mystery, and the siren - mermaid - merman? is helping him get free, provided he’s telling the truth.

They get closer to the surface, and Even’s chest starts to hurt more and more, his lungs start to burn with the strain of how long he’d held his breath - how had he not noticed? But he’s so close, he can make it out, he will, just a few more metres…

His vision blacks out. But there are arms around his body, pulling him up, dragging him out onto the rock. He coughs and coughs and it feels like there should be blood coming up with it - but it’s just water, and he breathes and breathes and breathes until he feels as though he’s human again.

“Fuck,” he chokes out. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” Isak says and Even looks at him in confusion.

“You can speak out of the water? But then why couldn’t I-”

Isak shrugs. “Magic,” he says. “The curse. Some shit like that.”

“You don’t sound like what I expected a mermaid to sound like,” Even says, and is awarded with another eyeroll.

“I’m not a mermaid.”

“Merman?” Even tries. “Siren?”

That one just gets him an unimpressed glare.

“I’m fucking human,” Isak says. “Or I used to be. Until I was stupid enough to swim out to the shipwreck.”

“And then…?”

“And then I got trapped down there.”

Even waits for more explanation, but none comes. Isak is looking down at his hands, mouth pressed shut.

“But - it didn't seem that bad?”

Isaks head snaps up. “Did you not hear me when I said _trapped?_ ”

“You're out here now, though?” Isak glares at him. “I'm just trying to understand.”

Isak sighs. “The ship, it's - almost like paradise. It has this air, and it makes you feel like you belong there. It pulls you in, and it’s like you've never felt happier or more peaceful, because you're surrounded by all these happy people. So when they ask you to stay forever, you say yes, and you sign away your freedom to some ship that never lets you go where it can't reach you.”

“Reach you? What does that mean?”

“You still feel it, don't you? The calm?”

Even hadn't realised. There are traces of calm still inside his chest, not as overwhelming, but still there, a pull towards where it gets stronger.

“The further away I go - it hurts. I can't survive without that ship.” Isak sighs, expression softening. “You came here to escape?” he asks quietly. Even nods. “So did I. Everything had gone to shit at home, my dad left, my mum had a breakdown. I thought some fake curse couldn't possibly be as bad as home - if it did exist. And if it didn't, it would just be a fun story to tell. Maybe I'd find a treasure chest full of gold, and I could get out of my house.” Isak looks down, voice quieting to one barely audible above the sound of waves against the rock. “I never realised just how much I needed my mum until I couldn't get home to tell her.”

Even doesn't know what to say to it all. He wants to reach out to Isak, to pull him close and comfort him.

“I - I’m so sorry,” is all he says instead.

Isak nods. “Just - don't let it happen to you, okay? Go back home. Hug your family. Shit like that.”

“Is there no way out for you?” Even asks. “Surely there's something-”

“If there is, I don't know it. And no one else there wants to know it.”

“Why not?”

“The others down there - they’re happy. They like it, because they all have each other. Their reason for being anywhere came with them onto the ship. And they've been there too long to remember any different. Eventually, people forget what it was like, or someone new from the town comes along, and tells them their family is all gone anyway, and they move on.”

“So why haven't you?”

“I'm their newest recruit,” says Isak, in a falsely bright voice as though he's imitating someone. “I haven't forgotten yet. It's only been three years.”

Recognition jolts through Even. “You're Isak Valtersen,” he realises.

Isak raises an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

“Small town,” Even says. “Plus, it's pretty big news when a kid goes missing.” He still remembers when they told them at school. A boy from the year above him, one that, sure, he’d seen around, but one that he had absolutely nothing to do with, had gone missing, last seen on the beach. The amount of lessons on staying safe in the sea that year was almost unbearable.

Isak looks down. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

“They had a-” Even cuts off, unsure whether he should be telling Isak this, but he continues anyway. “They had a memorial service for you. Your mum refused to go.”

“Fuck,” he whispers. Even wants to apologise, but Isak speaks again first. “When you get back, tell her I - never mind.” He turns away. “Do you know her? Do you know how she's doing?”

“I, uh,” Even hesitates, unsure what to say. “I've seen her around, but…” he tails off. “I don't know her. I only know the rumours that she - she’s never stopped looking for you.”

Isak takes in a breath. There's silence for a few seconds, then he speaks in a low voice. “So you see why you have to go home?” he asks, and Even nods. Isak moves to push himself off the rock, dive back in the water, but Even stops him with a hand on his arm.

“Wait,” he says. “What about you?”

Isak shrugs. “I'll move on eventually.”

“Can't I help? Isn't there any way to-”

“Sure,” Isak says sarcastically. “You can help. I'll just get you a book on what exactly this curse even is, and you can help me break it.”

Even stays silent.

“You can help by leaving me alone,” Isak says. “The less reminder I have of my old life, the better. And save yourself. Stay away from the ship.”

*

He stays awake thinking about it that night. About whether it really was all just a dream. It's not that his brain couldn't conjure that up for him - but the way he remembers it - it wasn't a dream. His dreams don't make some sort of twisted sense. If it were a dream, he wouldn't remember the pain of coming back to the surface so intensely.

There must be some way to help Isak. There must be some way to break the curse.

He googles him, as if it will help.

All he finds are articles upon articles, sensationalising the disappearance of a teenage boy, some berating the police for not doing more to find him, some berating the parents for splitting up and making a kid’s life bad enough that he wanted to run away. And some, more recent ones, chronicling Marianne Valtersen’s efforts to find him, even after all this time.

Then, there’s a facebook page. An old profile, now turned into a page of thousands of posts declaring that they miss him. Even scrolls through, but only stops to read the ones from his mother, the last of which is dated only a few days ago.

_Happy birthday, my son. I will never stop hoping that you'll walk through the front door one day soon. All my love._

He has to get Isak back somehow.

*

There's an old bookshop, on the edge of town. Mostly it's just second hand books, but there's a section at the back for books about the town, some books older than anyone alive. It's the best place to start, at least, as far as Even can tell.

And sure enough, after only a few minutes of looking, he finds a book titled _The Wreck of The Neptune's Revenge._ It's an old leather bound book, pages yellowed with age, with a certain magic to it - well, what did Even expect, with the shipwreck being what it was.

He's barely past the first page, introducing him to the ship with a diagram of how it looked in all of its glory, when a shadow falls over him.

“ _The Neptune’s Revenge_?” asks a woman’s voice. “What brings you to that book?”

Even snaps it shut, although he's no reason to hide what he was reading. There's a woman in front of him wearing all black, as if she's in mourning, and looking at him with a calculating expression.

“Even Bech Næsheim?” she asks, and Even nods, too stunned to say anything. “I know you. You used to hang around with my nephew.”

It clicks as to where Even knows her from. “Sana? Elias’s aunt?”

She nods once. “So what are you doing with the book?” she asks, and Even remembers from his childhood that she's not an easy woman to lie to. He tries anyway.

“I, uh, saw the ship at low tide. Just got curious, I guess.”

“Nice try,” she says. “When will you boys learn?”

“Um?” Even isn't sure what to say.

She rolls her eyes. “Come with me to the cafe upstairs. You can tell me about it there.”

*

“So tell me, Even,” she says when they sit down. “Why so interested in a sunken pirate ship?”

“I, uh, “ he hesitates, unsure how to explain it. “Know someone who we-who knew someone who went missing.”

Sana nods slowly, narrowing her eyes at him. “The last disappearance was three years ago,” she tells him. “One of my students.”

“You’re a teacher?”

“A tutor,” she corrects. “Mainly science. Isak was one of my best students.”

“So you knew him well?” Even asks, trying to hide his eagerness, but Sana catches it.

“Even,” she says. “What did you see?”

“I… went down to the ship,” he admits, bowing his head.

“All the way?” Sana asks.

Even nods. “There are - there are people down there. It’s like they’re trapped, but most of them don’t mind. It’s just Isak - he hates it. He saved my life.”

“From…?”

“The curse,” Even says. “I swear I’m not lying,” he adds, looking back up at Sana.

“I didn’t think you were,” Sana says. “I’m often told I don’t seem the type to believe in curses and things like that, but I know you’re not lying.”

“Thanks,” Even murmurs, a little unsure of how to respond.

“I lost my two closest friends to that curse,” Sana continues. “It’s nearly thirty years ago, now. No one would help me look for them. ‘Once you’re lost at sea, there’s no hope’ is what they told me.”

“What happened?” Even asks, hesitating slightly, wondering if it’s insensitive.

“We were on the beach, one day. Just hanging out, all of us just graduated from uni, ready to start the rest of our lives, and - they had a little too much to drink, I think. And they could see the mast of the ship above the water, so they wanted to explore it.” She pauses for a moment, and sighs. “I almost wish I’d gone with them, but I told them they’d never get as far as the ship, and that I’d be there on the beach when they got back, ready to say ‘I told you so.’ I waited for hours.

“People looked for them, of course, but never as much as I would have liked them to. So I started reading, just like you did,” she looks down. “I should have told Isak about it, but he wasn’t really one to talk about anything other than school work. I could have - I don’t know.” She shrugs.

Even waits a moment, to be sure that she’s finished. “So - what did you find out about the ship?”

*

It's a bad idea, he knows it's a bad idea. But the next day finds him jumping from the low cliffs, a little further down the coast, and heading for the rocks where Isak left him. He has to fight through the pull from the ship - even at this distance, the temptation is almost stronger than Even’s will. Almost.

 _You can see Isak down here,_ it tells him. _Come down._

But all it takes is the memory of what Isak told him, and he stays on his course to the rocks.

Once he's there, he doesn't know what to do. He has no idea how to call Isak, how to let him know he's there.

He could just go down and find him. Just a little swim. No harm in that.

He’s at the edge of the rock, feet dangling in the water, hands braced to push himself down, when -

“Don't you fucking dare,” Isak sticks his head out of the water with a scowl, not ten metres from the rocks. “After all the fucking shit I went through to save you?”

Even snaps back to reality. “Fuck, I didn't-”

“Jesus Christ,” Isak mutters, swimming to the rock and pulling himself out of the water.

When his tail is in view, Even can’t help the gasp that escapes him.

There's a huge gash down the side of Isaks tail, deep and red and painful, if the way Isak flinches when it touches the rock is any indication.

“What happened?” Even asks in a hushed voice. “Are you okay?”

“I broke the rules,” Isak explains. “Saving a human I was meant to bring in to the ship. So you're welcome.”

“But who did-”

“The ship.”

Even lets his confused expression speak for itself. Isak looks at him and sighs.

“I don't get it either, okay? I was in one of the lower cabins and the porthole glass just - shattered, all over me.”

“So couldn’t it have been an accident?”

“It's a little too coincidental for that, don't you think? Added to the fact that none of the other portholes have ever broken.”

Even hesitates for a moment. “I'm sorry,” he says eventually.

Isak just scowls for a moment, before speaking. “You better have a fucking good reason for coming back here.”

“I couldn't stop thinking about you,” Even settles on saying, and regrets it as soon as it's out of his mouth, when he sees Isak’s unimpressed look.

“...I'm flattered?” he says.

“Not like that,” Even feels his cheeks flush. “I just mean - about what you said. Not being able to going home. So I looked up about the ship, and I met - uh, someone,” he says, remembering that Sana asked him not to tell Isak that it was her.

“First you can't stop thinking about me, now you've met someone else. Mixed fucking signals, dude.”

“Let me finish,” Even says, rolling his eyes. “I met a woman who lost her friends to the shipwreck too. Chris and Vilde?” he tries, hoping for some recognition.

“Yeah, I know them,” Isak confirms. “They've been there years, though. They don't want to go home.”

Even nods, not sure how to respond, or whether he should tell Sana.

“She has a list of others, too,” he continues, rather than dwelling on it. “Eva and Jonas. They went missing together, back in the 40s. Only just married.”

Isak nods. “You heard them,” he says. “The two that came to look for me.”

“And Noora, went missing back in the 20s, three days before her fiancé William?”

Isak snorts this time. “Yep. She's there. Not him, though.”

“Why not?”

“Well, she took some inspiration from the stories of sirens, to put it that way.”

“She…” Even tails off, but he thinks he knows what Isak means. Sure enough-

“She drowned him.” Even must look shocked, because Isak immediately continues with “he deserved it.”

“Does anyone deserve that?” Even asks.

“He did, trust me.”

There’s silence between them for a while. Even isn’t sure what more to say, but his mind is whirling with the knowledge that everyone who’s gone missing has ended up on that ship.

“I have more questions,” He says eventually.

“Of course you do,” says Isak in a bored voice. “After all, I’m nothing if not a walking encyclopedia of cursed ships. And I can't even walk.”

“I’m sorry,” Even says. He feel like he apologises to Isak more than he does anything else. “It just - none of it makes sense.”

“You got that right.”

“Noora must be over a hundred years old. And Eva and Jonas are, what, ninety? But they didn’t _sound_ ninety.”

“Can you not work out the answer?” Isak asks. “We don’t fucking age.”

“So you’re still-”

“Fucking _seventeen,_ yes.” Isak collapses back dramatically, so that he’s lying down, and looking up at the sun. “If there was ever an age that you don’t want to get stuck at…”

“Why, do they ID you on the ship?” Even asks with a smirk, and the look Isak gives him could freeze the ocean. “Kidding,” he smiles, lying down next to Isak. “So-”

“More fucking questions?” Isak groans. “God, if I didn’t know that you’d go down to the ship if I didn’t answer you, I would have punched you by now.”

“I won’t go back to the ship,” Even promises. “I just want to help you.”

“I told you that you could help by staying away, and yet here you are.”

Even ignores him. “People have tried get to the shipwreck without getting pulled in,” he says. “There’s accounts of it, and all sorts. Every kid who can swim has tried to get there at least once.”

“But they only keep swimming if they’re desperate enough. Take Noora, for example. Being forced into a marriage that she didn’t want, all for the sake of appearances. So she swam out to sea, and the ship pulled her in. Or Eva and Jonas, they swam out in the middle of World War Two.”

“Then what about Vilde and Chris?”

Isak laughs. “Got chased by a fucking shark.”

“That doesn’t sound that funny,” Even tries to say, but he’s holding down his own laugh.

Isak stops laughing a second later, and sighs. “They only stayed because they felt like they owed it to the ship, for saving their lives.”

“But - you said everyone was happy.”

“They’re happy now,” Isak corrects. “They moved on.”

He falls silent, and Even thinks for a moment.

“I’m going to get you home,” he says, determined now. Isak looks at him, expression unreadable. “I’m going to get you all home.”

“But what would they do, if they came home? Everyone they knew is 30 years older than them.”

“I… I don't know,” Even admits. “But surely - they can - I don't know,” he sighs.

“You can't do it anyway,” Isak says, defeat in his voice. “You're better off giving up.”

He looks away, up at the sky, squinting against the early evening sun. Even stays looking at him for a while, just thinking.

Minutes pass. Even feels calm - but it's real calm, now. The traces of the feeling that the ship puts inside him are still there, but it's easier to tell the difference from his real emotions now.

“Do you get immune to the calm?” he asks Isak, expecting a sigh at _more fucking questions,_ but instead he sees Isak’s face fall, and he nods.

“It gets unbearable,” he says. “And then it gets unbearable to be away from it. Either way, it's fucked.”

“So how do they others manage?”

Isak shrugs. “Parties. Making things deliberately un-calm. I don't really know. They've had more practice than I have.”

Even stays silent for a minute.

“I guess i'll get there soon enough, though,” Isak says, sitting up. “Don't worry about me. Just - go home. Before it's dark.”

Even raises an eyebrow.

“No, the ship doesn't get more powerful,” Isak says, and Even wonders if he can still read his thoughts outside the water. “It's just fucking stupid to be out in the ocean in the dark.”

“Will you be in trouble again?” Even says, suddenly worried as he catches sight of Isak's tail, but Isak just shrugs.

“Who cares?” he says. “It can't exactly kill me.”

“I-”

But Isak is gone, sliding off the rock and into the water. Even watches through the waves as the sunlight hits his tail, watches his form get darker and darker as he goes further and further down, and eventually disappears.

*

He goes back to see Sana as soon as he gets home. The sun is setting as he knocks on her door, and she opens it with the stern expression that Even has come to expect from her.

“Back already?” she asks. “And with wet hair. No doubt where you've been.”

Even looks down at the floor, embarrassed. “I had questions.”

“Did you get answers?”

Even hesitates for a minute. “Well-”

Sana shakes her head quickly. “Come in. You must be cold.”

He sits at the little table in her kitchen while she makes tea.

“Did you see him again?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Even replies. “He was mad at me for going back.”

Sana turns around to give him a look. “Can you blame him?”

“Well, no. He said he went through a lot of shit to save me, and - something hurt him for it.”

Sana finishes making the tea, and comes to sit opposite Even. “What do you mean?”

“He said he was supposed to bring me on board, get me to join them, or whatever, and when he didn't, he - well, the ship, it punished him. One of the portholes shattered and the glass cut his tail.”

“Couldn't it have been an accident?”

“That's what I said, but he said it couldn't have just happened - and I - I think I believe him.”

Sana hums, deep in thought. “What else did he tell you?”

“That he isn't a walking encyclopaedia of cursed ships.”

She cracks a smile. “That sounds like the Isak I used to teach.”

“And he - he told me about some of the others. Everyone on your list is there, except William. He, uh, drowned.”

“Oh, thank god.” Even looks at her in alarm. “Well, from some of the things in Noora's journals…” she tails off.

“Isak said he deserved it too.”

Sana just nods.

“So,” she says eventually. “Are we any closer to solving this?”

Even shakes his head. “I guess we know that it's the ship itself causing the problems?” he says. “I mean, it wasn't a person who attacked Isak, it was the ship.”

“Did he mention the original crew at all?”

Even shakes his head again.

“Hmm. Well, first of all, I should tell you it's a bad idea to go back to the rocks. Second, if you get a chance for any reason to ask him about the crew…” she leaves the implication hanging in her unfinished sentence and the sly smile on her face.

*

He hasn't even reached the rocks this time when a familiar voice calls to him under the water.

“You again?”

Even smiles when he hears it, even through the grumpy tone that it's said in, there's a certain lightness to Isak's voice, to the way he raises an eyebrow, looking for all the world as he's holding down his own smile as he glides through the water next to Even.

Even waits until he's safely out of the water before he replies.

“Miss me?” he teases.

Isak doesn't justify it with a response, but nor does he come out of the water like Even expected him to. He stays a few metres away, only his head and shoulders visible above the waves.

“So you're still on your useless quest, then?” Isak asks instead. “19 year old human vs 300 year old cursed ship. I wonder how that’ll pan out.”

“I have arms,” Even points out.

“The ship has an unbreakable curse,” Isak counters.

“And it's not just me,” Even says, ignoring Isak. “I have S- a friend. And you, if you weren't so fucking stubborn.”

“Unfortunately, I am so fucking stubborn.”

“Yeah, I worked that out.”

They stay in silence for a minute, Isak grinning triumphantly, and Even rolling his eyes before relaxing, sitting on the edge of the rock with his feet in the water.

“Can you still read my mind up here?” Even says after a while. “Like you did down near the ship, you know.”

“I couldn't ever really read your mind,” Isak says. “I can only hear what you want to say, and only near the ship.”

“Oh,” says Even. “Then - how do you know how old I am? Or my name?”

“I-” Isak looks for all the world as though he wants to escape this conversation more than anything. “Just, uh…” he doesn't finish the sentence.

“I'm not, like, mad,” says Even. “Just confused.”

Isak starts several words that he doesn't finish before string together a full sentence. “We were at the same school for a year,” he says, shrugging, and trying to gain back some of his lost composure by adding. “I'm kind of offended that you didn't recognise me straight away.”

Even huffs a laugh, unsatisfied with the answer, but it's as good as he’ll get. “In my defence you're missing, presumed dead.”

“Nice,” Isak says, tone flat. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“Sorry,” Even says, flushing a little in shame. “I don't always think before I talk.”

“That's obvious.”

He half expects Isak to leave, to turn and swim away, but he just stays where he is in the water, moving up and down with the gentle waves.

“Why don't you come over here?” asks Even. “You're so far away over there.”

“Because I'm mad at you for coming back,” Isak says, but starts to move forward despite it.

He gets a metre away, and pauses.

“Don't freak out?” he asks, only pulling himself out of the water after Even nods.

But again, he's injured. This time there are what look like burns on his forearms in a strange circling pattern, as if something has been wrapped around him too tight.

“I'm not, uh, freaking out,” Even says. “But how did that happen?”

“Got tangled in a rope.”

“It looks kind of-”

“Deliberate? Yeah.”

“Is it my fault?”

Isak looks at Even for a moment, then sighs. “I don't know. The truth is - it's kind of… worth it,  to see you. Makes me feel like I'm human again, so…”

Even allows himself to smile while Isak looks away.

“But whatever, you know?” Whether you visit or not I'm not gonna drag you on board the ship like they all seem so desperate for me to do.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah, like the other people there. Eva especially. I don't know, she wants me to - to have a friend or something.”

“Well, you said it yourself that they all have someone keeping them there,” Even reasons. “Maybe it would help you too.”

“You are not going there,” Isak says emphatically. “Okay? I'm not putting you through that.”

“But what's so important about me?” Even says.

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you care so much if i'm human? If you like having me around, maybe-”

“No.” Isak says. “l like having you around as a human.”

“If you're going to get hurt, though-”

“This is nothing, compared to-” he cuts himself off abruptly. “I've already told you all of this,” he says, anger slipping through his voice. “Just, please,” his voice starts to crack a little. “Stay human. Please.”

Even feels his heart break a little for Isak.

“Okay,” he says quietly. “Okay, I'll stay.”

Isak doesn't reply, but instead his shoulders start to shake, and this time, Even doesn't hold himself back from reaching out. He starts cautiously, wondering if Isak will hate it, but when his hand reaches Isaks shoulder with only a slight flinch at first contact, he pulls Isak all the way in for a hug, holding him close and tight and warm.

Even doesn't want to let go first, but it feels like Isak doesn't want to either.

“If they know you hate it so much there, why don't they help you get back?”

Isak pulls away from him finally, turns back to look out at the sea.

“They say it gets better. Eventually I'll forget, or i'll find someone to keep me there. I think that's why they want you there so badly.”

“But we barely know each other,” Even says. “I mean, we only met two days ago. It's not like we were friends before or anything.”

Isak shrugs. “Yeah. Well…” he doesn't say anything else, just flicks his tail absent mindedly, making water droplets fly into the air, and reflect the light in a shimmering rainbow.

“If you don't mind me asking,” Even starts hesitantly, and Isak snorts.

“Not that it would stop you if I did.”

“What's it like having a tail?” Even continues anyway.

Isak stops disturbing the water. “Fucking weird,” he says eventually. “But I don't know. I'm used to it now.”

“Did you know that's what would happen? When you agreed to stay?”

“I don't remember,” Isak says. “I - just - I don't remember.” Even wants to pull him back in, to comfort him again, but he keeps his distance, and instead changes the subject.

“Hey,” he says, smiling. “You're not missing much on land. Every song on the radio sucks and every disney movie is a remake.”

He gets a quiet laugh.

“What about you, though?”

“Huh?” Even asks, not understanding the question.

“I mean, tell me about you. You're always asking me questions about me, why can't I ask you?”

“You can, I guess,” Even replies, a little taken aback. “There's nothing exciting about me, though.”

“You're the first human I've spoken to for three years, that's already kind of exciting.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess…” Even isn’t quite sure what to say. He’s never been comfortable talking about himself, always more curious about the world around him than the world inside him. “Uh, what do you wanna know?”

Isak shrugs. “Anything, really. You finished school, right?”

“Uh, kind of,” Even says. “I mean, yeah, I did. I'm taking a year out right now.”

“And then? Uni?”

“Maybe. I kinda want to do, like, media studies or something.”

Isak smiles. “You'd be good at that. I always remember those weird films you and your friends made.”

“You watched those?” Even asks, filled with a strange thrill from the revelation. “I didn't think anyone did.”

“Yeah, I did. Do you still make them?”

Even looks away sadly. “No, I - my friends all left for uni, so - no.”

Isak gives him a sympathetic look. “Shame.”

Even sighs. “Yeah. Just how it is, I guess.”

“You could make more,” Isak suggests. “Without them, I don't know.”

“Sure. I'll make a documentary about mermaids, how about that?”

“Sounds awesome,” Isak says. “But I will not be in it.”

“Killjoy,” Even says, smiling. “But - I don’t know how to do it without them, really. Anyway,” he ends abruptly, hoping that Isak will take the hint and change the subject, but he says nothing. Even can feel him looking, and he sighs and lies back to look up at the sky and all its clouds. Isak follows.

After a minute of silence, Isak points upwards. “There’s a dolphin.”

Even tries to work out where he’s pointing. It doesn’t take long. “That?” he asks. “That’s clearly a lizard.”

“Lizard? How the fuck is that a lizard?”

“It has legs!”

“They’re fins,” insists Isak. “You just don’t know what dolphins look like.”

“You don’t know what lizards look like,” argues Even. He looks over to see Isak shaking his head in disbelief. He moves on to a different cloud. “There’s a duck.”

“That’s a rabbit,” says Isak. “God, you’re so bad at this.”

They spend the next hour arguing about the clouds, but at the end of it all, Even isn’t irritated in the slightest. In fact, if anything, there’s some other feeling growing inside of him - fondness, perhaps. Some sense of belonging. Of finding a place, a person that he feels happy with, after so long alone.

The way Isak smiles at him, maybe he feels the same.

The sky is beginning to streak with orange and pink when Even remembers what he was supposed to ask.

“Isak?” he tries. They had both fallen silent a few minutes ago, content to just lie, peaceful, in each other’s company.

“Hm?” Isak answers, his usual sarcasm replaced with a soft, tired voice.

“The woman I met, the one who might be able to help you - she said I should ask you about the original crew. Whether they’re still there.”

“Oh,” Isak says, sounding somewhat disappointed. “Uh, a couple of them are.”

“What happened to the rest?”

“Um,” Isak pauses for a moment. “The ship sank after they found these caves under the sea. Or a map to them, I think. It was too deep to get to it safely, so they sent down three of the crew, to find what they could. All three of them were down in the caves for so long that everyone assumed they’d drowned, but they’re the ones that are still on the ship now. They wanted revenge or something.”

“Revenge for what?”

“They, uh, they were, like, ostracised, or whatever, before they were the ones chosen to find the caves. One of them had been found out as a woman, like, she'd disguised herself in order to get on the ship. The other two were in love, and the captain didn't like it. So when they drew straws to go down to the caves they all knew it was rigged.”

“What did they find in the caves?”

“Well, nothing. No signs of life or treasure or anything. But they said that when they came out, they felt strangely powerful, and calm at the same time. Noora said that's how she felt, too.”

“What about you? Did you ever feel like that?”

Isak pulls a face and shakes his head. “Just calm. But I guess I didn't need to feel powerful. I didn't want revenge on anyone. Like I said, I just wanted to escape.”

Even nods in understanding. “Thanks for telling me,” he says, and gives a self conscious smile. “Sorry I keep asking you questions.”

Isak shrugs. “It's not like I believe you can really help, but - you're rubbing off on me. I kind of want to try.”

Even grins wider than ever, and he rolls on his side to face Isak. “I'm not giving up until you're free,” he says. “I swear.”

Isak copies him, rolling over to face him with a small smile of his own. “Thanks,” he murmurs. “You're nice.”

There's barely a foot of space between them, and something about it feels a little like how the ship felt - pulling him forward, relentlessly drawing him in. But he has to fight that, and he has to fight this, too. It's a thousand times more dangerous.

“It's getting dark,” he says eventually, tearing his gaze away from Isak to look up at the sky. “I should go.”

Isak, again, looks disappointed. “Yeah, you should,” he says anyway. “So should I.”

He pushes himself to a sitting position, and Even follows a second later.

“See you tomorrow?” Isak says hopefully.

Even can't refuse that request.

*

“It’s not the ship,” he tells Sana later. “There was something down in the caves below it before it sank.”

She nods. “Did you ask about the crew?”

“There’s three of them,” Even says, and relates what Isak had told him.

Sana listens carefully. Then, when Even is finished, she stands, and leaves the room, returning less than a minute later with a huge old book. She places it on the table in front of here, and starts to rifle through it.

“If there’s something in the caves, and not the ship,” she says. “There’s a possibility that it’s not a curse at all. I read something once about a lonely water spirit.”

Even gives her a confused look, and she glances up to see it.

“I was cynical too,” she says. “But it makes sense. Listen - “the spirit of a drowned child who craves nothing more than safety and a family. They will pull desperate strangers in, sensing within them a desire for the same thing, and will make them a home, giving them whatever they want in exchange for their company.”

“But then-”

Sana shushes him. “There’s more. ‘Once drawn in, the new family will have every desire to stay, if their heart is with them. Only those whose hearts remain on land can be called home by them.”

“They can be called home by… their heart?” Even says, confused. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“On the contrary,” says Sana. “It makes a lot of sense. When it says ‘heart’ it means a loved one.”

“But surely Isak’s mother would have tried-”

“Even,” Sana sighs. “Surely Isak must have told you how strained their relationship was. Yes, deep down he loved her, but their bond was so weak, it will have had almost no effect.”

“But Isak didn’t tell me about anything else that he missed. It was just his mum.”

“Maybe he didn’t tell you everything,” Sana suggests. “That boy kept himself behind several locked doors, if I recall correctly.”

*

“What do you miss most?” Even asks Isak the next day, reluctant to explain why exactly he’s asking. “About home?”

“Uh,” Isak says. “I thought I told you. My mum.”

“There wasn’t anyone else?” he asks more insistently. “A friend or - girlfriend or something?”

Isak’s expression sours. “Why are you so bothered?”

Even looks down. “We found a book,” he says. “I - I don't wanna get my - _your_ hopes up, but it might have something. Because first of all, I don't think it's the ship that's cursed.”

“What do you mean? It's the ship that's drawing you in. It's the ship that attacked me.”

“I think there's a - a spirit trapped down there. It was in the caves at first, I mean you said it yourself that the original crew of the ship felt that same calm when they went down there. It could have jumped to the ship when it sank and inhabited that instead.” Isak is silent, considering what Even is saying, and Even takes the opportunity to explain the rest of what they had found in the book.

“So if there's anyone else back on land, anyone you miss - just tell me, please,” Even finishes, almost begging. “They could free you.”

“There isn't anyone, Even,” Isak insists. “Just leave it. You must be wrong about this.” The way he says it makes Even certain that, just as Sana said, he's hiding something.

“Isak, please.”

“Go home, Even,” Isak says. “You've got it all wrong. You don't know what you're talking about.”

He pushes himself off the rock and disappears. Even doesn't even try to call him back.

He's just confused. It's the explanation that made the most sense. What was Isak so afraid of?

*

There's a storm coming the next day, effectively mirroring Even’s own mood. It starts off with a harsh wind in the morning, but by noon, there's rain thundering down, and news of fishermen being warned away from the sea.

And he needs to find Isak to apologise, to talk to him. He needs to go to the ship, and find out the truth for himself.

He can feel the pull from the low cliffs, and he stares out over the turbulent sea, knowing that he shouldn't dive in.

He jumps anyway. He needs to find Isak. He needs to go to the ship.

It's still as easy as it has ever been to swim out, even in this storm. Peaceful, calming, rhythmic.

Until Isak grabs him, and pulls him away, back towards the cliffs.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Even's never seen him so angry. “Why would you swim out in a fucking storm? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Even tries to push against him, he can't reply underwater, but he needs to go back to that ship. He needs it.

But Isak is stronger, dragging him further and further back, until he has Even pressed back against the cliffs, somewhere Even never thought Isak could reach.

“How are you out this far?” he asks, although he's still finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than getting to the ship.

“The storm isn't a real storm,” says Isak. “it's the spirit making everything louder, making the calm go further - I can go with it. It’s making it impossible for you to stay away. But you have to, Even, you have to,” Isak’s voice is urgent, and Even is almost listening to him, but the ship needs him. “Even, please, listen to me.” Isak tries shaking his shoulders. “You can't go down there. Remember what I told you.”

“But - I need to, I need-”

“Even, you don't,” Isak insists. “You were right, okay? There is something keeping me on land, that's why I'm not happy down there.”

Isak isn't that much stronger than Even. If he struggles just a little more, works to Isak’s weaknesses and kicks out at him, he can fight his way past.

“Even,” Isak holds tighter. “You can’t go down there.”

But Even isn’t listening. He’s frantic, now. The ship needs him, he needs the ship. He needs to-

Isak kisses him, and everything stops. The storm, the pull, Even’s heartbeat. When he comes back to himself, he melts into Isak. He stops struggling so that he can hold him and pull him closer, deepen the kiss, bask in the incredible feeling of Isak’s lips on his.

“I-” Isak says, pulling away too soon. “Fuck, I-” he looks as though he's about to throw up. “I can't stay here anymore - the ship - I-”

He cuts off as his breathing gets faster and faster.

“Isak, what’s wrong?” Even asks, still holding him, reluctant to let go now that everything has started to make sense.

“I can't survive without it, I told you,” he struggles out. “I only got here because of the storm, but it's gone and I-” He covers his head with his hands as if he's trying to tear his hair out. “It hurts,” he whimpers. “Even, it fucking hurts.”

It hurts Even, too, to see him like this. He grits his teeth and comes to a decision. He turns his back to Isak. “Put your arms around my neck,” he says. “I'll take you back.”

isak does as he's told, as though he barely has energy to do anything else. When he's holding on, Even starts to swim, trying not to notice Isaks face pressed into his shoulder, and how much pain he must be in right now.

It can't be far, but it seems to take an age to get there. Isak feeling like at any moment he'll slip off and fall down through the waves, lost to the sea, lost to Even.

But they make it. Even feels the tendrils of calm crawling inside his chest at the same time he feels Isaks grip tighten, and the relief he feels is overwhelming.

Going further, though - he doesn't know if he could fight it anymore, and for that, Isak would never forgive him.

He stops where he is, in the middle of the ocean, and pulls Isaks hands from his shoulders. When he turns to face him, he notices his eyes, almost shut, and he's slipping in and out of consciousness.

“Isak,” he tries quietly. “I can't go any further. You'll be okay now.”

There's a figure coming towards him from the deep, and Even starts to panic. He lets go of Isak, but he starts to sink, and Even doesn't want him to-

It's another mermaid, with long, auburn hair, and a kind face. As soon as she speaks, Even recognises her as Eva, and he doesn't know whether to hold on tighter to Isak, or get as far away as he can.

“Even?” she asks. “Isak has told me a lot about you.”

“I - I can't come to the ship,” he says. “Isak wouldn't - I-”

“Shh,” she cuts him off gently. “I know you can't. Thank you for bringing Isak back to us.”

“But I-”

“I'll look after him,” she promises, and for some odd reason, Even trusts her.

“Just tell him - tell him I'll see him tomorrow?” he asks.

Eva smiles, and nods. “I'll make sure he comes.”

She puts her arms under Isak, taking him from Even, and he wants more than anything to follow, but-

“Make sure you get home safe, Even,” Eva says, turning back. “Isak would never forgive me if you didn't.”

*

He waits at the rocks for two hours the next day, watching the clouds go by, counting the limpets on the rocks. He’s convinced himself of several different outcomes of yesterday until finally, looking exhausted, Isak shows up. He pulls himself out of the water to sit next to Even in complete silence, leaving it up to Even to start the conversation.

“Hi,” he says tentatively. “Are you okay?”

Isak just nods, looking pointedly away from Even. “I, uh,” he says after a minute. “I guess I should explain - or apologise, or something.”

Even shakes his head. “Well, you could explain,” he says. “But I don’t need an apology.”

Isak stays silent for a moment, looking at him with an intensity that Even hasn’t felt before from anyone. Then, he takes a deep breath, and speaks.

“You’re right about the spirit,” Isak says. “I asked around the ship, after we argued - after I shouted at you. But I already kind of - knew that you were right. I just didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to freak you out.”

He takes another breath. “You’re what’s keeping me on land. I should have told you, but you didn’t know who I was until a few days ago - I knew you wouldn’t, but - I had such a huge fucking crush on you in school. And we never spoke a word, but I would always see you around, and you were - you _are -_ so fucking beautiful. I’m sorry I kissed you without asking, but I didn’t know how else to get your attention.”

He exhales, and Even realises that’s the end of his explanation. It doesn’t sink in immediately, but parts of it are making perfect sense, parts of it he knew already. He reaches out to Isak, just one hand on his arm, stroking up and down, a comforting gesture. Then, he brings his other hand across, lifts it to Isak’s cheek, and turns his head towards him.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice you,“ Even says. “But I’ve noticed you now. And you’re incredible.” He leans in. “Is this okay?” he asks as he gets close enough to feel Isak’s breath on his lips, and he feels when it hitches too.

“Yeah,” Isak says. “So fucking okay.”

Even closes the distance with a smile, and although there’s no storm that needs to be calmed this time, it brings him the same feeling, as though everything in the world has stopped, has been put to rights. It feels like it was meant to be. Like Isak is his heart, and he is Isak’s heart, and -

He pulls away slightly, leaning their foreheads together, one hand still on Isak’s cheek, running his thumb under his eye to wipe away a drop of water that could almost be a tear. He knows what he needs to do.

“Isak,” he tries gently. “Come home.”

His gentle words have a powerful reaction. Isak gasps, and trembles, and his eyes close as he falls into Even’s chest, shaking almost violently.

Even just holds him, shuts his eyes, and hopes. When he opens his eyes again, Isak is still shaking -  with laughter, pure relieved laughter, and Even joins him.

He’s human again. They’re both human, holding tightly to each other, and laughing, and Isak is home.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! let me know what you thought!!  
> come find me on tumblr, being a general shitposter n big fan of various unrelated things [@biyazkhan](http://biyazkhan.tumblr.com)  
> love always xxx


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